Soil management zones delineated by electrical conductivity to characterize spatial and temporal variations in potato yield and in soil properties

Peralta, N. R., Costa, J. L., Balzarini, M. and Angelini, H. 2013. Delineation of management zones with measurements of soil apparent electrical conductivity in the southeastern pampas. Can. J. Soil Sci. 93: 205–218. Site-specific management demands the identification of subfield regions with homogeneous characteristics (management zones). However, determination of subfield areas is difficult because of complex correlations and spatial variability of soil properties responsible for variations in crop yields within the field. We evaluated whether apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) is a potential estimator of soil properties, and a tool for the delimitation of homogeneous zones. ECamapping of a total of 647 ha was performed in four sites of Argentinean pampas, with two fields per site composed of several soil series. Soil properties and ECawere analyzed using principal components (PC)–stepwise regression and ANOVA. The PC–stepwise regression showed that clay, soil organic matter (SOM), cation exchange capacity (CEC) and soil gravimetric water content (θg) are key loading factors, for explaining the ECa(R2≥0.50). In contrast, silt, sand, extract electrical conductivity (ECext), pH values and [Formula: see text]-N content were not able to explain the ECa. The ANOVA showed that ECameasurements successfully delimited three homogeneous soil zones associated with spatial distribution of clay, soil moisture, CEC, SOM content and pH. These results suggest that field-scale ECamaps have the potential to design sampling zones to implement site-specific management strategies.

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Establishing management zones using soil electrical conductivity and other soil properties by the fuzzy clustering technique

Scientia Agricola ◽

10.1590/s0103-90162008000600001 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 65 (6) ◽

pp. 567-573 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

José Paulo Molin ◽

Cesar Nunes de Castro

Keyword(s):

Electrical Conductivity ◽

Soil Fertility ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Precision Agriculture ◽

Principal Component ◽

Site Specific ◽

Management Zones ◽

Physical Attributes ◽

Definition Of ◽

Specific Management

The design of site-specific management zones that can successfully define uniform regions of soil fertility attributes that are of importance to crop growth is one of the most challenging steps in precision agriculture. One important method of so proceeding is based solely on crop yield stability using information from yield maps; however, it is possible to accomplish this using soil information. In this study the soil was sampled for electrical conductivity and eleven other soil properties, aiming to define uniform site-specific management zones in relation to these variables. Principal component analysis was used to group variables and fuzzy logic classification was used for clustering the transformed variables. The importance of electrical conductivity in this process was evaluated based on its correlation with soil fertility and physical attributes. The results confirmed the utility of electrical conductivity in the definition of management zones and the feasibility of the proposed method.

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Spatial variability of apparent electrical conductivity and soil properties in a coffee production field

Engenharia Agrícola ◽

10.1590/s0100-69162014000600017 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 34 (6) ◽

pp. 1224-1233 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Domingos S. M. Valente ◽

Daniel M. de Queiroz ◽

Francisco de A. de C. Pinto ◽

Fábio L. Santos ◽

Nerilson T. Santos

Keyword(s):

Electrical Conductivity ◽

Spatial Variability ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Precision Agriculture ◽

Chemical Properties ◽

Coffee Production ◽

Management Zones ◽

Apparent Electrical Conductivity ◽

The Relationship ◽

Dense Sampling

Precision agriculture based on the physical and chemical properties of soil requires dense sampling to determine the spatial variability of these properties. This dense sampling is often expensive and time-consuming. One technique used to reduce sample numbers involves defining management zones based on information collected in the field. Some researchers have demonstrated the importance of soil electrical variables in defining management zones. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the spatial variability of the apparent electrical conductivity and the soil properties in the coffee production of mountain regions. Spatial variability maps were generated using a geostatistical method. Based on the spatial variability results, a correlation analysis, using bivariate Moran's index, was done to evaluate the relationship between the apparent electrical conductivity and soil properties. The maps of potassium (K) and remaining phosphorus (P-rem) were the closest to the spatial variability pattern of the apparent electrical conductivity.

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Repeated electromagnetic induction measurements for mapping soil moisture at the field scale: validation with data from a wireless soil moisture monitoring network

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-21-495-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 495-513 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Edoardo Martini ◽

Ulrike Werban ◽

Steffen Zacharias ◽

Marco Pohle ◽

Peter Dietrich ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electrical Conductivity ◽

Soil Moisture ◽

Spatial Pattern ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Electromagnetic Induction ◽

Scale Validation ◽

Low Cost ◽

Monitoring Network ◽

Clay Content ◽

Temporal Variations

Abstract. Electromagnetic induction (EMI) measurements are widely used for soil mapping, as they allow fast and relatively low-cost surveys of soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa). Although the use of non-invasive EMI for imaging spatial soil properties is very attractive, the dependence of ECa on several factors challenges any interpretation with respect to individual soil properties or states such as soil moisture (θ). The major aim of this study was to further investigate the potential of repeated EMI measurements to map θ, with particular focus on the temporal variability of the spatial patterns of ECa and θ. To this end, we compared repeated EMI measurements with high-resolution θ data from a wireless soil moisture and soil temperature monitoring network for an extensively managed hillslope area for which soil properties and θ dynamics are known. For the investigated site, (i) ECa showed small temporal variations whereas θ varied from very dry to almost saturation, (ii) temporal changes of the spatial pattern of ECa differed from those of the spatial pattern of θ, and (iii) the ECa–θ relationship varied with time. Results suggest that (i) depending upon site characteristics, stable soil properties can be the major control of ECa measured with EMI, and (ii) for soils with low clay content, the influence of θ on ECa may be confounded by changes of the electrical conductivity of the soil solution. Further, this study discusses the complex interplay between factors controlling ECa and θ, and the use of EMI-based ECa data with respect to hydrological applications.

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Spatial variability of soil properties and delineation of soil management zones of oil palm plantations grown in a hot and humid tropical region of southern India

CATENA ◽

10.1016/j.catena.2018.02.008 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 165 ◽

pp. 251-259 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Sanjib K. Behera ◽

Ravi K. Mathur ◽

Arvind K. Shukla ◽

K. Suresh ◽

Chandra Prakash

Keyword(s):

Spatial Variability ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Soil Management ◽

Southern India ◽

Tropical Region ◽

Management Zones

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Repeated electromagnetic induction measurements for mapping soil moisture at the field scale: validation with data from a wireless soil moisture monitoring network

10.5194/hess-2016-93 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Edoardo Martini ◽

Ulrike Werban ◽

Steffen Zacharias ◽

Marco Pohle ◽

Peter Dietrich ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Electrical Conductivity ◽

Soil Moisture ◽

Spatial Pattern ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Electromagnetic Induction ◽

Scale Validation ◽

Monitoring Network ◽

Clay Content ◽

Temporal Variations ◽

Dynamic Factor

Abstract. Electromagnetic induction (EMI) measurements are widely used for soil mapping, as they allow fast and relatively low-cost surveys of soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa). Although the use of non-invasive EMI for imaging spatial soil properties is very attractive, the dependence of ECa on several factors challenges any interpretation with respect to individual soil properties or states such as soil moisture (θ). The major aim of this study was to further investigate the potential of repeated EMI measurements to map θ, with particular focus on the temporal variability of the spatial patterns of ECa and θ. To this end, we compared repeated EMI measurements with high-resolution θ data from a wireless soil moisture and soil temperature monitoring network for an extensively managed hillslope area for which soil properties and θ dynamics are known. For the investigated site, i) ECa showed small temporal variations whereas θ varied from very dry to almost saturation; ii) temporal changes of the spatial pattern of ECa differed from those of the spatial pattern of θ; and iii) the ECa-θ relationship varied with time. Results suggest that i) stable soil properties are the major control on ECa measured with EMI, and ii) for soils with low clay content, the electrical conductivity of the soil solution rather than θ is likely to be the dynamic factor controlling temporal variations of ECa. Further, our study provides the opportunity to discuss the complex interplay between factors controlling ECa and θ, and the use of EMI-based ECa data with respect to hydrological applications.

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Mapping Soil Properties and Delineating Management Zones Based on Electrical Conductivity in a Hedgerow Olive Grove

Transactions of the ASABE ◽

10.13031/trans.13149 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 62 (3) ◽

pp. 749-760 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sandra Millán ◽

Francisco Jesús Moral ◽

Maria Henar Prieto ◽

Juan Manuel Pérez-Rodriguez ◽

Carlos Campillo

Keyword(s):

Electrical Conductivity ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

Information Source ◽

Fuzzy Cluster ◽

Soil Conditions ◽

Olive Grove ◽

Regression Kriging ◽

Management Zones ◽

Plant Properties

Abstract. Identifying spatial patterns of soil and plant properties can be an efficient method for site-specific management in areas with homogeneous characteristics (i.e., management zones, MZs). In this study, the use of soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) is proposed as the main information source for evaluating the spatial variability of soil and plant properties when using this variability to determine potential MZs. This study was conducted in a commercial hedgerow olive grove. Spatial distribution maps of the main soil properties and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were generated by regression-kriging in which ECa was used as a secondary variable. According to the results obtained by the validation process, all maps were accurate. Soil and plant properties and ECa were subjected to principal component analysis (PCA). Two MZs were determined using a fuzzy cluster classification. The MZ map was validated using data related to soil samples, yield, and NDVI. Establishing different MZs was useful for adapting the irrigation strategies to the soil conditions of the plot, which resulted in increased productivity of the hedgerow olive grove. Keywords: Fuzzy c-means, Principal components analysis, Regression-kriging, Spatial prediction.

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